Double Dessert

Since we haven't had many breakfast recipes on the blog so far, I thought that I'd start this post off with a delicious breakfast scone recipe. In addition to the scone recipe below, I found and made a great cake with a unique combination of flavors.

Cranberry-Almond Scones

Ingredients

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (or milk)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Slivered almonds

Additional heavy whipping cream

Additional sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Stir Bisquick mix, cranberries, 1/3 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, the egg, and vanilla until soft dough forms.
• Pat into 8 inch circle on cookie sheet (if dough is sticky, dip fingers in Bisquick).
• Brush circle with additional whipping cream, sprinkle slivered almonds, then sprinkle with additional sugar.
• Cut into 8 wedges, but do not separate.
• Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown; carefully separate. Serve warm and enjoy!

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

(original recipe found here)

Dry Ingredients

3/4 cup spelt flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking power

3/4 teaspoon (kosher) salt

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup olive oil

3/4 cup whole milk

Other Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

5 ounces (140 grams) dark chocolate (70 - 82 % cacao), irregularly chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Rub a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with olive oil.
• Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly.
• Add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again.
• Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate.
• Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the second sugar.
• Bake for about 40 minutes (even a little less because cake can dry out easily), or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, and garnished with whipped cream, fruit (strawberries or raspberries), and some chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant Caponata and Fresh Peach Cake

Anybody watch the food network? One of my favorite shows is Barefoot Contessa with Ina. Here are two great recipes from her repertoire. Roasted Eggplant Caponata is a wonderful appetizer and vegetarian dish. Fresh Peach Cake is simply delicious and a wonderful way to complete a homestyle meal.

Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant Caponata -

Ingredients:

-1 large eggplant (1 1/2 pounds)

-Olive oil

-4 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

-1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and chopped

-1 cup chopped yellow onion

-1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

-1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

-3 tablespoons minced parsley

-2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

-2 tablespoons drained capers

-2 tablespoons tomato paste

-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

-2 teaspoons kosher salt

-1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

-Toasted pita triangles, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minutes, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon jice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.

If you want to make your pita triangles - buy pita. Cut into triangles. Brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until chips start to become golden. Serve with the caponata. Enjoy!

Ina Garten's Fresh Peach Cake -

Ingredients:

-1/4 poind (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

-1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

-2 estra-large eggs, at room temperature

-1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced

-1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans. The batter layers will seem very thin, however, the cake will rise a lot due to the combination of baking soda and baking powder.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Society/Economy/Politics: A great issue you can talk about while serving these dishes? Supporting local produce. Both recipes can be made with fresh, locally grown produce. It's a great way to help support your local economy and the quality of your produce will be much better than that of imported produce.